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Friday, 31 October 2014

POP supergroup McBusted returned to the city for a secret gig at the Albert Hall on Thursday morning.

The band, made up of members of past chart-toppers McFly and Busted, had already played two sell-out shows at the Capital FM Arena earlier this year, but this was an intimate acoustic special for Capital FM’s Dino and Pete called Exposed.

Fans had an early start, with the 700 listeners to the Breakfast Show who’d been lucky enough to get hold of tickets, flooding the main hall of the orchestral concert venue at 8am.

Presenters Dino and Pete were by the stage broadcasting live, with the help of news reporter Anna Tyler and producer Brains.

McBusted entered the venue from the rear, running through the middle of the largely young and female (and screaming) crowd.

Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, Harry Judd, James Bourne and Matt Willis showed huge energy on stage, constantly waving at the crowd and playing jokes with Anna as she read the news. At one point, Harry had a go at the travel news, putting on a posh accent, much to everyone’s amusement.

Unlike Lawson, the guitar band who’d played an unplugged Exposed show last year at the same venue, McBusted were plugged and ready to rock, opening with Air Hostess, which had the audience on their feet.

Star Girl, Sleeping With The Light On and Five Colours in Her Hair followed, with numerous between song silliness to keep the party going.

James jumped off stage and took photos with fans, causing a rush to the front, later joined by Tom.

The hosts joined in with a game of Tattoo Roulette, in which the loser was committed to having Air Guitar, the name of their new single, tattooed on their body. It was Dougie, currently dating pop star Ellie Goulding, who lost.

Drawing the show to a close was Matt Wallis, husband of Big Brother presenter Emma Wallis, who hinted at the possibility of a new tour.

“If you preorder the new album on Amazon, you will be entitled to priority tickets of our next show – if we tour again,” he teased.

Their latest single Air Guitar and album McBusted can be pre-ordered from iTunes and Amazon.

Tuesday, 30 September 2014

AS well as a music career that includes a top 30 album, Lewis Watson will soon be appearing on the big screen in a film version of John Niven's cult Britpop novel, Kill Your Friends.

It's set in London during 1997, with the British music industry enjoying a winning streak and A&R man Steven Stelfox enjoying the fruits of it, with an expense account, drugs and parties... until he turns to murder.

Watson, aged 21, who grew up in Oxfordshire, joins the likes of Nicholas Hoult and James Corden in the film.

"I think the book is brilliant and when I was approached to do it, I jumped at it," he recalls. "I've never acted before and I'm terrible at it," he adds, laughing.

AS well as a music career that includes a top 30 album, Lewis Watson will soon be appearing on the big screen in a film version of John Niven's cult Britpop novel, Kill Your Friends.

It's set in London during 1997, with the British music industry enjoying a winning streak and A&R man Steven Stelfox enjoying the fruits of it, with an expense account, drugs and parties... until he turns to murder.

Watson, aged 21, who grew up in Oxfordshire, joins the likes of Nicholas Hoult and James Corden in the film.

"I think the book is brilliant and when I was approached to do it, I jumped at it," he recalls. "I've never acted before and I'm terrible at it," he adds, laughing.

"But I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to see the film – and the 30 seconds I'm in it!"

Watson has been steadily building his profile over the past two years, touring heavily and releasing five EPs, all of which have reached the iTunes top ten.

His debut album, The Morning, released in June, went straight into the UK chart at No. 28.

"It's the dream of anybody who loves music to be able to create and play music for a living," says Watson, who started playing the guitar when he was given one for his 16th birthday.

"I never thought it was achievable. I got very lucky because I kept at it."

Ideas for his songs come easily, he says.

"They come from people I've met, songs I've heard, books I've read, because of somebody I've seen crossing the road, or a melody I've heard in a film I watched the night before... it's incredible.

"I think that's what I love so much about music: you go from having nothing to having a song."

Watson plays the Rescue Rooms on Thursday, supported by Nottingham's Amber Run, who are signed to RCA.

It's not Watson's first visit to Nottingham.

"We've been three times already and I've loved every show," he says.

" For some reason, we get a massive response in Nottingham and yet I have no link to the city.

"It's one of my favourite places to play; I always love coming back."

The date is part of his largest tour so far.

"I'm not nervous about it. We did eight tours last year and I love it.

"I think we're stepping it up a bit this time. I've gone a bit bigger with the arrangements and I can't wait for people to hear them.

"A few of the shows have already sold out. Yeah it's amazing," he says.

"Each time we tour we step up the venue size, so for it to be selling out – or very close to selling out – is incredible.

"I'm a very lucky guy."

Lewis Watson plays the Rescue Rooms on Thursday, October 2, 7pm to 10pm, with support from Amber Run, £11, 0845 413 4444, alt-tickets.co.uk

Monday, 22 September 2014

Here’s
some helpful tips to help you through your year that no one will ever tell you.

Pre-drinks: Back at home, this was never a thing.
You would get ready, go out and get smashed. But now you’re a poor student,
it’s a night out essential and can sometimes be better than the night out
itself. Pre-drinks also involved A LOT of drinking games; the ever-telling
‘never have I ever’ is where you learn that your housemate had sex with someone
in a fast food joint and ‘The ring of Fire’ where you end up drinking shot upon
shot of absinthe (really would not recommend). You will live for the pre-drinks
– however your hangover the next day tells a different story.

Don’t buy text books straight away: This is definitely one for the
freshers. You may think you’re smart getting all your books in early but out of
those 15 you've brought, you’ll probably use a grand total of two. The library
is a god send so use that as much as possible! Think of the jagerbombs you’ll
be missing out on if you get that ‘important’ text book and then realise you've
been using it more as a coaster than a research method.

You never sit at the front of the
lecture theatre: Ok, this does vary through the year. As fresher’s, you may
want to make an impression and sit at the front but as the year progresses (and
you begin to experience nights out in the week) you slowly shuffle to the back.
The only ones that sit at the front are either late and have nowhere else to
sit or the ones that you wonder ‘how the hell did you get on this course?’

Once
in your stay here at University, you will do the walk of shame: It doesn’t even have to be post-coitus related; for the commuters out
there, this will happen quite a lot. The amount of times you’ll get asked to go
out after your last lecture & realise you have no fresh clothes for the
morning after is ridiculous. A top tip to avoid this is to always keep a spare
set of clothes at one of your best friend’s house. Also, if you do happen to do
the walk of shame – walking through the campus at 10am is not a good idea.
People will stare and snigger. Just no.

Monday, 18 August 2014

The other day I went into Nottingham’s Waterstones in search
of a new book to satisfy my shopaholic needs (I’ve been band from buying pretty
much anything else so I decided to use a wormhole and do that.)

Whenever I do go book shopping, Waterstones is my shop of
choice. To me, it just feels more homely and the way the books are set just
makes the experience that little more enjoyable.

Anyway, back to my point, I had just finished browsing
through the media section when I decided to find where fashion was.

After a little search I came across it; from Vogue covers to
male fashion to trends of the last billionth section it was there.

However, there was a group of books there that I did not
expect to see.

Amongst the fashion-help books, I came across numerous amounts
of books about tattoos & the different types of designs.

It came to make me think: do we see tattoos as more of a
fashion statement rather than the artistic freedom of expression it really is?

As the owner of three tattoos (a large Marilyn Monroe quote,
Greyscale roses & a pin up girl) I know the responsibility or commitment of having a tattoo (I have these all in places that I can cover due to prejudice against tattoos in the workplace.)

I'll admit, I have definitely seen a somewhat 'fashion trend' when it comes to tattoos - you have the swallows, the dandelion that seeds turn into birds, 'Only god can judge me', the list goes on..

However, I don't think tattoos should be seen as a fashion trend.

By reasoning behind this is every year, we experience numerous amounts of fashion trends and we may fall in love with one trend; turning our whole wardrobe around to fit around this trend.

But in time, you'll discover new trends - forgetting or even resenting the previous trend that you described as 'perfect'.

I have always found tattoos to be an artistic freedom of expression; a little token of yourself that you can put on display for the world to see and whenever anyone asks for some advice on tattoos, I always say the same thing: 'Make sure it means something to you.'

My reasoning behind this is if it means something to you, whether it be to remember a lost one or to show how you've overcome an obstacle in your life, you will be less likely to regret it in later life.

It is becoming a popular trend to get a tattoo and then getting it laser removed in a few years time.

I'm completely understanding if it is a poor design or an ex's name (bad move, FYI) but what was the point of getting a tattoo if you're going to waste even more money getting it removed in a few years time? I just don't see the logic behind it.

Tattoos should not be seen as a fashion accessory; trends
come and go – a tattoo is for life.

It’s been a
long while since I last posted, but I will admit I’ve been an extremely busy
body & I think it’s time for an update!

Firstly,
I’ve been completing work experience with local newspaper Nottingham post and
PR Company HR Media. Well, I tell a lie – I’m in the midst of doing work
experience at HR Media.

I thoroughly
enjoyed working for the Nottingham Post; I interviewed, I researched and I got
published several times! Although I covered the majority of the fashion section
that week (yay me!) I think my favourite piece was definitely the loom band feature I wrote.

Not only was the piece published, it was also the editors pick of the day! When
I saw that, I was absolutely thrilled. Maybe I have a hack for feature writing,
ay?

Now, I’ve
moved onto PR and have written about ice skating to Scooby-Doo. Yes, the
cartoon character!

The company
deals with a lot of local companies so I’ve done several press releases for
them, sorted through application forms and researched new clients. I’m actually
really enjoying myself!

And what’s
even better? No tea making! Ok, I should feel slightly bad for that – but I was
one of those people who actually dreaded doing that ALL DAY LONG instead of
actual work.

As well as
work experience, I’ve actually been a bit of a socialite.

Ok, maybe
not on the level of Kimmy K herself but nowadays I’m hardly in the house! Which
is great for someone who spent most of her teenage years sat in a room playing
‘The Sims’ and reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on park
swings. (Oh how I miss nerd Lauren).

I’ve
attended two festivals since I last spoke – Nottingham festival Splendour and Y
Not.

I saw so
many acts that I have wanted to see all my life; Scouting for Girls, The
Boomtown Rats with Bob Geldof himself, Razorlight, The Fratellis and the
legendary Dizzee Rascal. Without a doubt the best artist I have ever seen live! I even
managed to watch Saint Raymond twice!

And I also discovered new ones to love such as Reverd and the Makers. If you
haven’t listened to them, I 100% recommend.

This has
definitely been a summer to remember, and knowing this will probably be my last
summer before I’m released into the big bad world scares me a little…

I mean, I’ve
already got a taste since I will be moving out to Nottingham early in September
as I have finally decided it’s time to stand on my own two feet. Eek. I feel
all grown up.

I never
realised how daunting and stressful it is getting your own place! However, my
family and friends have been so supportive and I couldn’t thank them enough.

And I think that’s me pretty much up-to-date,
I have a few posts lined up but if there is anything you would like me to
cover, don’t hesitate to ask!

Returning for its 10th year, the ever-growing festival Y Not did not fail to amaze a growing crowd.

With the headliners consisting of White Lies, Dizzee Rascal & the returning Frank Turner, Y Notters were in for an explosive weekend with a diverse collection of music.

Due to its success over the years, the festival was once again sold out and Friday saw a continuous stream of people entering the site at Pikehall in Derbyshire, a site that was once again expanded to cope with demand.

As well as a ferris wheel, there was a secret rave tent and a range of different food tents so even the fussiest of eaters could enjoy something.

Indie band Circa Waves were one of the first to rock The Quarry stage, with the tent coming to life during Young Chasers.

Popular back in 2006, Razorlight wowed the crowd on the main stage with their number one singles Before I Fall to Pieces, In The Morning and, rounding the night off, America. The band had great energy on stage.

Finishing the night off was White Lies, a personal highlight of the weekend.

Saturday had a host of bassy and fast-paced artists such as headliner Dizzee Rascal and The Fratellis. Local fella Saint Raymond wowed an over captive audience at The Quarry, with the crowd joining in with his single Young Blood.

Finishing off their festival tour, The Fratellis warmed up the crowd ready for Dizzee Rascal with hits such as Whistle for the Choir, Henrietta and the explosive Chelsea Dagger, which sent people into a frenzy.

The band took to twitter to say they thoroughly enjoyed playing and it was a perfect end to their year.

Dizzee Rascal had the crowd jumping around and singing along religiously, as he delivered his biggest tunes, among them Dirtee Disco, Holiday, Dance Wiv Me and the incredible Bonkers, which wrapped up the show.

Sunday was more chilled, although headliners Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls were charged, bringing an immense Y Not to a close.

Saturday, 28 June 2014

Ever since Harry Potter and Twilight came onto our screens, there has been a mass influx on book-to-movie productions - especially in the teen sector.

We have had our hearts melted by Nicholas Spark's The Notebook and The Safe House (to mention just a few!) and been gripped to Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games trilogy - all being very successful in their own right.

Books-to-movie adaptations have especially captivated the imaginations of teenagers - and with it becoming increasingly difficult to

This year, the world has been buzzing about John Green's A Fault In Our Stars - a story following the life of 16-year-old Hazel Lancaster who is a long-term sufferer of cancer who meets 17-year-old Augustus Waters, who has recovered from the big 'C' and change's Hazels world forever.

As someone who has read the book as well as seeing the film at the cinema, I can tell you this is no ordinary 'cancer' story.

It gives a refreshing and very honest view of cancer from a teenagers perspective and how, as we can imagine, the future can seem very bleak in the eyes of a terminally ill child.

With the novel, I found myself both laughing and crying - with Hazel'd wit and Gus's charm, I slowly found myself falling in love with both of the characters and never wanted the book to end.

I'm a sucker for a romantic novel, and A Fault In Our Stars definitely delivered.

So, I decided to read the novel before actually going to see the film because I always believe that the book is better than the film (unless you are The Game of Thrones, then you are just as good!)

My thoughts on the movie? Like I expected, the film was great - but missed out key bits/characters! (The film was 2 hours long, so this can be expected)

Shailene Woodley, who plays Hazel in the adaptation, perfected the role - and really made the audience feel the emotions she wanted to project onto them. The same with Ansel Elgot, who plays the incredible Gus, and you do find yourself falling in love with the character.

I recommend this film to anyone who wants a romantic comedy which will send you from hysterics to tears in such a short space of time. And with the film being male friendly, you can bring the male in your life to watch the film (see how long it takes for them to cry!)

Thursday, 12 June 2014

Hello Beautiful!Apologise for the long absence, If I haven't been completing my last bit of coursework I have been working my bum off!But no fear, I am making time to devote to my blog!

For many University students, it is officially summer - 3 whole months to catch up on lack of sleep, to catch up with family and friends back home and to just relax without feeling guilty about not ready that 'important' text book.

For me, this summer could be one of the most important one yet and my university work is far from over.

Before I start my third and very last year at University, I have to complete at least 3 weeks work experience with whatever newspaper/PR/media company I choose.

Over July, I will be working along side The Nottingham Post and BANG Showbiz PR - something I am so excited to do!

This means I will be staying in my favourite city for a whole week, which I'm not going to lie - I am very nervous to do so!

I am also attending Y Not again this year - and with headlines such as Dizzee Rascal and White Lies, it's certainly going to be a festival to remember.

Other aspects of my life have also changed.

I have made the choice to move to Nottingham so I can focus on my studies and actually experience life living on my own.

This also means I will have more time to devote to my blog, and so I want to explore a new option.

I want to try and give some advice to any of my readers who may need it: Whether it be fashion related, dating or just general questions.

If you do want to get intouch, feel free to ask through my Ask.Fm (link is here) and you can ask anonymously, which is also great!

I'll be posting the answers on here as a group or individually - depending on subject!

When I was in college, I used to be known as the girl who always wore the white jeans. I had 3 pairs to be exact and wore them to death. At this point, I was the only one doing it and totally looked out of fashion.

Well now, it could be considered to be more of an epiphany.

Spring/Summer 2014 is bringing back white - and high street stores such as Topshop have gone wild for it.

Just the other day as I was walking past the Topshop in Nottingham and all the clothing that was displayed was white. I'm not going to lie, staring at it too long gave me a headache!

However, they have got a numerous amount of gorgeous items to satisfy your fashion needs.

For anyone who has ever seen Sex and the City 2, the overlay dress that SJP wear has always been a favourite of mine and when I saw that Topshop were selling a white dress in the same style, I was smittened.

I just love how the dress hangs, and for those who has a broader bottom half - the perfect solutions for creating an hourglass figure.

If you do find £38 a little bit too extreme for a dress, Primark are doing a very similar dress for £10. Bargain!

Overlay Summer dress£38Topshop

Since my college days, I have gone down a dress size and my precious jeans will not fit me! And so I have been looking for another pair to satisfy my craving.

These ankle grazers by BooHoo are absolutely gorgeous! And the split in the knee area is also a key trend (as seen on Kimmy K!).

At £25, they are very affordable and, as always, BooHoo offer a 10% discount for students.

Ankle Grazer£25BooHoo.com

I am in love with this kimono from New Look and think it would be a perfect addition to a festival wardrobe.

The crochet features make this kimono rather special - and is perfect for light coverage during the hot weather months. (Ok, a little bit of wishful thinking.)

I think this is a very affordable piece and New Look also offer a 10% discount for students.

Kimono£22.99New Look

And what about accessories? River Island are showcasing a huge amount of white bags this summer and this one is one of my favourites.

This bowler bag is just the right size for me as it can carry a few summer essentials like sunglasses, sun cream and a good ol' book!

And if your bag is on the heavy side, the strap will make life a lot more easier!

Thursday, 15 May 2014

Ok, if you don't personally know me there are two things you should know: 1. I love buying clothes (some find happiness in love, I find happiness in a new dress) and 2. I am so cheap (I once travelled all the way to Leeds because I refuse to pay full price for Ark clothing!)

Usually, if I'm not looking for anything in particular or if I'm on a budget I love to have a look on eBay and see what bargains I can find.

However, sometimes I find it difficult to find anything suitable for my age range. And if you wanted to sell something via eBay, you could pay almost a pound just for putting the item online!

However, this has all changed.

'Depop' is the latest selling app; combining the greatness and ideas of eBay with the layout and quirkiness of Instagram. All you have to do is take a photo (with no charge for the amount of photos you upload, yay!) write a description with hashtags (like Instagram)and name a price - it is exceedingly simple!

The only money that will be taken off you is once the item is sold, and even then it's only 10%.

I will admit, I am totally in love with this app and have been severely addicted to it since I downloaded it on Sunday.

In that time, I have purchased my dream mom jeans (as seen below) two Jack Wills tops (one of which was a measly £4) and a red Fred Perry jacket.

A screenshot of the app

If you haven't tried this app, then I would recommend you give it a go. The app is completely free and it's also free to join. What have you got to lose?!

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

We are a good half way through May now, however I thought there's no time like the present to write out a May wishlist!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been doing an awful lot of online shopping - however the money will only stretch so far (sign).

1. Lip Voltage

All across the internet (and from a couple of my friends) I have heard/seen so many great things about this product! I've always wanted but, full lips like actress Megan Fox but I've never been a huge fan of having needles stuck into my face.

Lip voltage is a 'quick absorbing peptide lip treatment' which uses Nano technology to fill and volumise lips. For me, it's a dream come true and I can imagine it to be very similar to Soap and Glory's motherpucker but with better effects.

Prices are ranging on this product, but I'm seeing a common face value of £15/£20.

2. Ripped Mom Jeans

Ok, this isn't really a wish list item as I have managed to purchase a pair, but it did take me a long time to do so!

Don't get me wrong, I do love normal mom jeans - but after I saw a girl at my university wearing a pair of ripped mom jeans, I was totally smittened and the hunt began.

I searched everywhere for a decent pair of these jeans and I really was upset that I couldn't find a perfect pair. That is, until I came across Depop and found this. Finally, the search was over!

These mom jeans (or Monica jeans as my sister calls them) are from Topshop and were an absolute bargain at £22, and I cannot wait to try them on!

3. A Lace Kimono

With the festival season coming up, I am in desperate need of more kimonos. I'll admit it, I don't really wear cardigans and usually result to a coat - but what happens when it's only a tad cold? Silly Lauren.

This is why I'm resulting to kimonos - they're so cute and lightweight! And I am desperate for a lace one to add to my collection.

I love this black laced kimono from ASOS and is perfect for those long festival days!

Friday, 9 May 2014

I'll admit it - since receiving my last student loan instalment of the year, I have gone a little bit shopping mad.

This year's summer trends have become very addictive; I have countless pastel dresses, a few gorgeous kimonos and I couldn't be happier.

However, across the blogosphere girls have been raving about two pieces (or co-ordinates) and I really felt like I was missing out!

So, after browsing the web for a good few hours, I managed to find my perfect two piece! (yay!)

Online retailers Missguided are definitely wearing the crown for the most variety of co-ordinates. They have so many which helps if you're worried about having the same outfit as someone else.

I chose this cute black and white dogtooth set and I love it. The crop top with spaghetti strap fits perfectly and the straps do not dig into my skin, which it great. The skirt is in the style of a skater skirt and I love the length of it as it wasn't too long or too short.

This two piece comes in three colours; black and white, lilac and white and blue and white. I think this is great because this is one of the more affordable co-ordinates, so people who opt for this design can have a choice in colours.

Not into shorts skirts? No problem! Missguided has accommodated those who don't like showing too much leg.

This neon pink two piece screams holiday chic; the pink palm tree print is really cute and the bralet (although small) doesn't show off too much cleavage. Perfect if you want to cover up.

If you're after something more everyday, this floral two piece is perfect. For me, it reminds me very much of the 90's; the cute crop top and shorts in the pink floral pattern is something you would expect to see in a vintage shop and I love it.

About Me

The small town country girl who is obsessed with beauty and fashion.
My name is Lauren Lee & I am a print journalism student at Nottingham Trent University
Please, follow me! and explore my version of events.